Remember the nighttime serial “Paper Dolls” with Morgan Fairchild at the helm? No? Neither does anyone else. Recently, Vocalo.org’s’s Robert Feder unearthed the archives and presented us with one of his Sun-Times columns back in May 1984. Since Upfront Week took place two weeks ago, I got to thinking – what was it like back then when the networks trotted […]
The Fly Jock is going to be doing double-duty in Chicagoland beginning this week. As reported by Chicagoland Radio and Media, the Reach Media/Radio One-syndicated radio program is going to be simulcast on both WSRB-FM (Soul 106.3) and WPWX-FM (Power 92). Both stations are owned by Crawford Broadcasting. As you recall, Joyner’s show was dropped by WVAZ-FM in March 2009 […]
Jeff Goldbatt out at WFLD; WISN, WTMJ tie in 10 p.m. news race in Milwaukee The recent trends in local news is somewhat puzzling to figure out sometimes – while two stations scored rating increases at 10 p.m. with their local newscasts, the two local 9 p.m. newscasts were down from year-ago averages. Both CW affiliate WGN-TV and Fox-owned WFLD-TV […]
Gary Coleman, who is best known for one of America’s most famous catch phrases, died today at the age of 42 from complications of a fall earlier in the week. Coleman was known to utter the phrase “What’cha Talking About” on Diff’rent Strokes, a sitcom he starred in and ran on NBC from 1978-85 and ABC from 1985-86. The Zion, […]
American Idol winner Lee DeWyze with runner-up Crystal Bowersox. It was a Midwestern feel at the American Idol finale, with one finalist from northern Illinois and the other from north central Ohio and both auditioning in Chicago. But in the end, it was Mount Prospect native and former paint store salesman Lee DeWyze who took home the prize and the […]
Chicago-based Tribune Co. actually likes something crosstown rival Weigel Broadcasting Co. has – This. Tribune announced today it has signed a long-term deal to add This TV in several markets (including WPIX in New York) and renewing existing deals in others (KTLA in Los Angeles.) This TV is a joint venture between Weigel Broadcasting (which owns WCIU here, and airs […]
Sorry Hurley, but Chicagoans preferred the heroics of the Blackhawks’ Dustin Byfuligen on Sunday. When it came to the ratings on Sunday, not even the Smoke Monster was no match for Dustin Byfugulien. According to Phil Rosenthal’s Tower Ticker blog, Sunday afternoon’s NHL Western Conference Final Game 4 between the San Jose Sharks and the Chicago Blackhawks averaged a […]
The sitcom about nothing is still apparently something in syndication. Weigel Broadcasting’s WCIU-TV acquired the fourth-cycle rights to off-network sitcom Seinfeld (sixth item), to begin airing in March. The move comes as a few (but not all) Fox-owned stations who currently carry the show have passed on the next cycle of the popular NBC sitcom, with syndicator Sony opting to […]
It’s the 2010-11 Turner upfront presentation, and you know who is the man of the hour. I’m talking about Conan O’Brien, TBS’ new late night star, who stopped yesterday at the event to say hi to media buyers (and to convince him he’s the real deal in a daypart dominated by David Letterman and Jay Leno.) O’Brien woke the quasi-sleepy […]
The CW celebrates its 5th season this fall with an eye popping nine dramas on its schedule, and one lone reality show, America’s Next Top Model. The network is also claiming it has an “all original lineup”, meaning no show will repeat itself on the schedule during the week (what, you thought they were running 52 weeks of original programming? […]
The most aggressive moves front the upfront didn’t come from the three other major networks – it came from the front runner, CBS. CBS unveiled its 2010-11 lineup Wednesday in front of advertisers in New York City, and it came with some surprises: the biggest one of them all is the move of hot comedy The Big Bang Theory to […]
ABC announced its new 2010-11 lineup in front of advertisers during its upfront presentation today, and unveiled several new programs. While Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays remain pat, Tuesday gets a significant face-lift with two new dramas surrounding the Dancing With The Stars results show: No Ordinary Family and Detroit 1-8-7, while Better Together joins ABC’s Wednesday sitcom block, with new […]
In advance of its upfront presentation today, Fox announced seven new shows for next season, including a revamped Tuesday lineup in the fall, with its freshmen hit show Glee front and center. Shows not returning include Saturday night talker The Wanda Sykes Show and sitcom Brothers. It is not known at this time what will replace Wanda Sykes in the […]
NBC announced its 2010-11 schedule to the press today, with significant changes from last year. For one thing: no Jay Leno in prime-time. Second, NBC has picked up dramas from J.J Abrams and Jerry Bruckheimer, two producers who know how to create hit shows – something NBC desperately needs right now. From Abrams comes Undercovers, a new spy drama which […]
WFLD/WPWR picks up show as part of ten-market Fox deal Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution has sold The Big Bang Theory to Fox-owned stations and Turner Broadcasting for a fall 2011 start. The cable deal has TBS paying a record-breaking $1.5 million per episode (for a cable network) for the rights to air the show in primetime four or […]